Chefcore: the unlikely fashion trend in 2023

Here's a 2023 report & look at how clothing brands and restaurants are interacting with each other.

May 18, 2023

**In partnership with Marc Nolan; check ‘em out**

Explore the spring sneaker collection here ($105).

Cosplaying like servers and line cooks

Capsule collections, merch, workwear, you name it.

It’s funny to say that a clothing brand’s most likely (unlikely) collab in 2023 seems to be food and beverage establishments.

This has been happening sporadically for a while, from The Hundreds x Jon & Vinny merch to brands like Dior and Louis Vuitton's beautiful dining options in their stores.

Food and clothes are deeply connected; there’s a complementary consumer overlap that both parties can enjoy the benefits of.

What’s most revealing in all this is the reminder that what you wear often says everything about what you eat.

And the reverse.

Ok, on to some collabs and product drops I’ve loved this year—

St. John x Drake’s

St. John—a fantastic London institution and the originator of making British plainness cool—dropped this capsule with Drake's for their pop-up restaurant in NYC.

A chore coat vest? Matching cord suits? Take my money!

Good Fight x Kato

Head to LA, Good Fight has teamed up with Michelin-starred Kato Restaurant to make this dope, chef-themed capsule collection.

What's cooler than wearing a monochrome apron? Wearing it with an earth-toned chore coat, obviously.

Pierce Abernathy x Story MFG

Chefs have swag too (if The Bear didn't already teach us this).

Take Pierce Abernathy—a food personality and recipe extraordinaire who's blown up the last few years. Story MFG tapped him for an editorial featuring some excellent fits, showing off those luscious locks in the process.

Chef(core) — I really hope that term goes nowhere

Rosa Rugosa

Chef Matty Matheson, perhaps the most stylish Foodhead right now, has blown up too. Last year, he launched Rosa Rugosa, his own clothing workwear brand featuring a collection of utilitarian pieces that are properly built to get lathered in grease and oil.

Worth noting that while the pieces are proudly made in Canada and are likely high quality, the prices seem quite steep for what service industry folks would typically pay for pieces while on the job.

Service Works

Service Works, based in the UK, is making chef trousers cool. "Designed for Chefs, adapted for all" is their motto, and they're already sold at GOATed retailers like END and Hip Store.

To be fair, I own a pair; they are my favorite pants right now. Highly recommend.

Paperboy x New Balance x Beams

And we can't forget Paperboy, a legendary sandwich shop in Paris that's made merch as hype-worthy as old Supreme.

Their partnerships with Beams and New Balance further illustrate the blurred lines between fits and food.

LL Bean + Beams ≠ LL Beams :(

Speaking of Beams, how about this bangin' campaign they released with LL Bean featuring an older couple who modeled their collection?

Or HIP's campaign promoting NB991s featuring the owners of a local UK grocer.

I can’t lie; it’s fun seeing how brands integrate food into campaigns and product drops. On the one hand, it’s aspirational, and it makes me want to get in the kitchen while flexing hard in a fit I’m proud of.

On the other hand, it’s interesting to see brands make chef-inspired clothing that’s well above the price range of what people who work in the service industry might be able to afford for their own jobs.

There’s a balance to keep, and it’s something to note as you look at where to spend your money.